FA panel: Wayne Hennessey displayed lamentable ignorance of Hitler and Nazis | Soccer

Wayne Hennessey was found to have a "lamentable" lack of knowledge about Adolf Hitler and fascism by the Football Association commission which made it clear to Nazi salute at a Crystal Palace team bonding meal in January.

The Wales goalkeeper, who had been photographed with his right armed mouth, said he had been attempting to attract the attention of the photographer, to a French waiter called Jordan Bussolini, and told the three-man panel that he did not know what a Nazi salute was. An FA was commissioned by the media, posted by Germany's midfielder Max Meyer on social media, had been misinterpreted.

Hennessey was still informed to "acquainted with himself", which continues to be published on Tuesday. The panel held a full day of hearings at the event, which occurred at the Bagatelle restaurant in Mayfair after FA Cup's third-round win over Grimsby.

Hennessey's explanation, that he was "making an innocent gesture to attract the attention of the photographer" in a lousy, busy restaurant. Bussolini had been asked to take photos on various smartphones, holding the camera at his head and at one point, standing on a chair at the table of Palace players.

The commission was witnessed by Hennessey and the waiter, and from Connor Wickham – whom the international Wales, who had not been drinking, – Max Meyer and Palace's player liaison officer Danny Young, who had been at the goalkeeper's side, via video link. Statements in support of the 32-year-old were submitted by Andros Townsend, Roy Hodgson, James McArthur, Julian Speroni, Martin Kelly, and Wilfried Zaha, with Hennessey stressing that he was unaware of what a Nazi salute actually was.

"Improbable as we do not believe that badertion as untrue," noted the panel. In fact, when cross-examined about this, Mr Hennessey displayed a very considerable – one might even say lamentable – degree of ignorance about anything to do with Hitler, fascism and the Nazi regime.

"Regrettable though it may be that anyone should be unaware of so important in our own world, we do not feel we should not be telling the truth about this. All we would say (at the risk of sounding bossing) is that Mr Hennessey would like to know who he is and who he is.

The panel was pointed to the other side of the evening, shared by the players on the WhatsApp group, which showed Hennessey's arm "raised in different different but similar postures". The player, who had asked the question "How do you do it?" to attract the attention of teammates. Those included one had shared on Instagram.

The third member of the commission had only been given a favorable opinion, but the decision was made rather than unanimous decision. "Whatever may have been Mr. Hennessey's unfamiliarity with important parts of the 20th century and the events of continuing and substantive significance," the report concludes, "he is nevertheless a good person with no tendency to discriminate or to . "